Golf Talk Live - Raymond Floyd Transcript Segment 4

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PETER KESSLER NOW THAT'S THE STARE YOU THREATENED TO GIVE ME IF I ASK THE WRONG QUESTION, RIGHT?

RAYMOND FLOYD (LAUGHS)

PETER KESSLER (LAUGHS)

YOU KNOW JACK HAD THIS INCREDIBLE ROTATING GROUP OF CHALLENGERS HIS WHOLE CAREER. YOU AND ARNOLD, AND BILLY, AND GARY AND TOM AND LEE. DO YOU THINK THAT, THAT TIGER'S GOING TO NEED THAT SAME ROTATING GROUP OF CHALLENGERS TO SUSTAIN HIS LEVEL OF INTEREST IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS?

RAYMOND FLOYD HE'S A VERY SPECIAL PERSON AND PLAYER I THINK AND I THINK THERE, THERE WILL BE THE CALIBER OF PLAYER OUT THERE THAT WILL, WILL CHALLENGE HIM, CERTAINLY. I DON'T THINK THAT

THE GUYS TODAY, MAYBE I SHOULD EXPRESS IT A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY, I THINK THE GUYS TODAY THAT HE HAS COME IN THE GAME WITH OR WERE JUST SLIGHTLY IN FRONT OF HIM ARE GOING TO HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME BEATING HIM, BUT WHAT I THINK WILL HAPPEN IS THE YOUNGER PLAYERS THAT ARE

COLLEGIATES NOW OR PLAYERS THAT ARE TRYING TO GET OUT THERE, THEY REALIZE THAT THE BAR WAS MOVED. THAT THE GAME HAS GONE TO ANOTHER LEVEL AND THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE THE MINDSET THAT THEY CAN DO IT AND THEY WILL

COME OUT AND CHALLENGE TIGER I THINK. I THINK A PHIL MICKELSON IS GOING TO WIN A MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP. I THINK A DAVID DUVAL'S GOING TO WIN A MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP, SO CERTAINLY THEY'RE GOING TO BE THERE AND

THEY'RE GOING TO COMPETE WITH HIM, BUT RIGHT NOW HE IS, PHEW, IT'S GOING TO BE TOUGH TO BEAT HIM.

PETER KESSLER THE OPEN GOES BACK TO SOUTHERN HILLS OF COURSE IN JUNE AND YOU WON YOUR SECOND PGA THERE IN 1982. DO YOU THINK YOU EVER PLAYED A BETTER ROUND OF GOLF THAN THE OPENING ROUND 63 TO START THAT WIRE TO WIRE WIN?

PETER KESSLER IS THAT WHEN YOU DID THE SMART PLAYING WITH THE LEAD AS OPPOSED TO BEING CONSERVATIVE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER?

RAYMOND FLOYD UH PROBABLY. I, I CAN'T RECALL EXACTLY THE MINDSET, BUT I KNOW I WAS PLAYING WELL BUT STILL TO THINK ABOUT PUTTING UP 63 ON A GOLF COURSE LIKE THAT IS, I DON'T THINK REALISTIC,

ESPECIALLY IN A PGA CHAMPIONSHIP. ROUGH, REALLY DEEP. YOU GOT TO HIT FAIRWAYS, YOU GOT TO HIT GREENS AND THEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE PUTTS, UH, IT'S NICE TO REFLECT ON THOSE THINGS AND KNOW THAT YOU'VE DONE IT (LAUGHS).

PETER KESSLER NOW ANOTHER ROUND THAT MIGHT BE ALMOST AS GOOD, IF NOT AS GOOD AS A 63 WAS A CLOSING 66 THAT YOU SHOT AT SHINNECOCK IN 1986 TO WIN YOUR U.S. OPEN. WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN THAT 66 UNDER ALL THAT PRESSURE AND THE 77 THAT YOU SHOT THE SUNDAY BEFORE AT WESTCHESTER WHEN YOU HAD BEEN RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THINGS WITH A CHANCE TO WIN THAT GOLF TOURNAMENT?

RAYMOND FLOYD WELL I THINK MARIA CAN TAKE CREDIT FOR THAT AS WELL. I HAD BEEN IN THE LEAD AT WESTCHESTER, OR TIED, I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY, GOING TO THE LAST ROUND AND I THINK THE NEXT NINE PLAYERS, THE REST OF THE PLAYERS IN THE TOP TEN, COLLECTIVELY HAD NOT WON NEARLY AS MANY TITLES THAT I, AS I.

I WENT OUT AND BLEW AN ENGINE, HAD FOUR FLAT TIRES . EVERYTHING WENT TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET AND WE GOT IN THE CAR TO DRIVE FROM WESTCHESTER OUT TO LONG ISLAND FOR, FOR THE U.S. OPEN THE FOLLOWING WEEK AND ON THE DRIVE MARIA SAID, WHAT HAPPENED?

AND AGAIN, I'M GOING TO SHORTEN THIS STORY BECAUSE IT GOT A LITTLE BIT HEATED ON THE WAY OUT, BUT

PETER KESSLER AND THAT'S A THREE HOUR DRIVE

RAYMOND FLOYD YES, IT WAS A LONG DRIVE. AND SHE PUT IT TO ME THAT YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS IT. WHAT IF YOU'RE IN CONTENTION NEXT WEEK IN THE U.S. OPEN AND YOU DON'T ADDRESS WHAT HAPPENED TODAY. WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IN THE U.S. OPEN?

YOU'RE PLAYING WELL. COULD IT HAPPEN AGAIN? AND WHEN YOU START THINKING ABOUT IT, SURE IT COULD, SO I... FINALLY SUCCUMBED. I WAS VERY UPSET. I'M ALWAYS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT

KIND OF PUSH IT UNDER THE RUG AND LET IT GO. IT'S GOLF, IT'LL, YOU KNOW, IT'LL WORK ITSELF OUT. MARIA IS FROM THE OTHER SCHOOL AND SHE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT IT AND LET'S FACE IT RIGHT NOW. WE DON'T, WE DON'T WAIT AND FORTUNATELY, THROUGHOUT THAT WEEK

I GAVE SOME THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HANDLE THIS? WHAT, WHY DID YOU SHOOT 77. TO THIS DAY I DON'T KNOW THAT I KNOW WHY I SHOT 77. I'VE HAD THOSE ROUNDS BEFORE AND, AND ALL

OF US HAVE. WHEN THE WHEELS COME OFF, IT IS THE HARDEST SHIP TO RIGHT THAT YOU'VE EVER SEEN, BUT THE KEY IS TO NOT LET IT START SLIPPING. I THINK THAT'S THE REAL KEY, AND WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU GET AN OPPORTUNITY YOU HAVE TO CAPITALIZE BECAUSE YOU DON'T

HAVE A LOT OF CHANCES TO WIN ANY EVENT AND ESPECIALLY A MAJOR, SO, I THINK MARIA HAS THAT TROPHY ON HER MANTLE, ALONG WITH A LOT OF OTHERS THAT I'VE, THAT I'VE GOTTEN CREDIT FOR.

PETER KESSLER WE'VE GOT ANOTHER TROPHY OF YOURS THAT WE'RE GOING TO RUN INTO, ANOTHER WINNING FLOYD, YOUR SON ROBERT, AS SOON AS WE COME BACK. DON'T GO AWAY.

(MUSIC)

THERE'S RAY AND RAY JUNIOR. THERE'S RAY AND ROBERT, AND THE THREE OF THEM HAVE WON THE FATHER-SON CHALLENGE FOUR TIMES BETWEEN THEM.

(BREAK)

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